Northolt madness

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Police officers remain at an address in Wood End Lane, Northolt. The priority of the operation continues to be to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

Shortly after 00:50hrs on Friday, 21 October, officers attended an address in Wood End Lane, Northolt, after a report was made to police of concerns for a man who is resident there and of hazardous items inside the property.

Whilst it is not known exactly what the man has inside the property police are treating seriously reports that the items appeared hazardous and dangerous, as they are said to include quantities of petrol and combustible material. It has also been reported that attempts have been made to prevent access to the property.

Police believe that the man is alone inside the address.

Due to concerns for the safety of the man at the address, local residents and the responding officers, police did not attempt to access the property on arrival.

Police cordons have been set up, of a 200 metre radius, to facilitate the ongoing policing operation. These remain in place.

As a precaution for safety reasons, with the support of the local authority, approximately 80 people have been temporarily re-housed from the immediate area of the address.

Police negotiators and armed police remain at the location. To date the man has not engaged with officers and all options are being considered. The priority of the MPS is to bring this incident to a safe conclusion, and that may take some time.

Police are concerned for the man's wellbeing and believe he may currently be experiencing mental health issues, which could be exacerbated by police action or may make his behaviour unpredictable.

Chief Superintendent Paul Martin, in charge of policing Ealing, said:

"Our aim is to bring this to a safe conclusion for everyone. I know that our operation has been ongoing for some time now and that it is causing disruption and inconvenience to local residents
and the community of Northolt.

"I would like to thank them for their continued patience and cooperation.

"I can understand why people may be feeling frustrated or concerned. Their local officers are out on duty today to speak to local people, keep them updated and understand any concerns that they may have.

"The operation will continue for as long as is necessary and I would like to stress that we are doing all we can - using all our tactics - to end this incident safely."

Police continue to work with the London Ambulance Service; London Fire Brigade and the Local Authority.

There is no suggestion that this incident is terrorist related, nor is it linked to any other ongoing police operation or investigation.